the hard sell
Do any of you realize how incredible the next batman movie is going to be? I mean, honestly?
I was thinking about this the other day on the way back to lab from lunch. I mean, first and foremost, it's not going to be directed by Joel Shumacher (who almost completely ruined the franchise (which Tim Burton so elegantly crafted with 'batman' and 'batman returns') with the past two batman films, 'batman forever' (almost forgivable) and 'batman and robin' (not so forgivable. at all.). It's going to be directed by Christopher Nolan (past credits include 'memento' and 'insomnia'), which should make for an appropriately twisted and dark film.
Secondly - a new actor is portraying bruce wayne/batman: christian bale (who you might remember from 'reign of fire,' or (to please all the nostalgic ladies in the house, 'little women'). he's not very high profile (which is a good thing, in my opinion), and he looks twisted and dark enough to do wayne justice.
and now, a slew of potential spoilers (not really- but i give the villians away, so don't read if you don't want to know). Ra's Al Ghul (played by Ken Watanabe) - an potentially awesome (but not well known villian) and The Scarecrow (played by Cillian Murphy (from "28 days later" (!)) look to round out the villian cast. this is - quite simply - awesome.
then, the less obvious details (which can make a huge difference): Micheal Caine is playing Alfred, Morgan Freeman is playing lucius fox, and gary oldman is going to play commissioner gordon (!) (finally - gordon is not being portayed as a big fat cop (by pat hingle, like in all the other flicks).
AND: the screenplay is by David Goyer, the writer of (drumroll...): yes, none other than "BLADE" (the original - one of the finest comic book to film adaptations ever, in my opinion).
Finally, (and perhaps most importantly), the subject matter of the film: it's an origin story (i.e. how bruce wayne became batman). This is important because, if done correctly, origin stories are one of the most interesting aspects of any superhero movie (in my opinion, it's what made the original 'spider-man' flick so engaging - origin stories help you identify with the protagonist. because when it comes down to it, it's all about pretending that you yourself can wear a rubber suit, inside-out underwear, and fly through the city .. . ).
and now, i'm done. i felt the need to share, because the spirit moved me - and because this movie is going to be amazing (or, at least has all the ingredients to be). I'll be there in 2005 - and you're all invited to jump on the batnerd bandwagon with me.
I was thinking about this the other day on the way back to lab from lunch. I mean, first and foremost, it's not going to be directed by Joel Shumacher (who almost completely ruined the franchise (which Tim Burton so elegantly crafted with 'batman' and 'batman returns') with the past two batman films, 'batman forever' (almost forgivable) and 'batman and robin' (not so forgivable. at all.). It's going to be directed by Christopher Nolan (past credits include 'memento' and 'insomnia'), which should make for an appropriately twisted and dark film.
Secondly - a new actor is portraying bruce wayne/batman: christian bale (who you might remember from 'reign of fire,' or (to please all the nostalgic ladies in the house, 'little women'). he's not very high profile (which is a good thing, in my opinion), and he looks twisted and dark enough to do wayne justice.
and now, a slew of potential spoilers (not really- but i give the villians away, so don't read if you don't want to know). Ra's Al Ghul (played by Ken Watanabe) - an potentially awesome (but not well known villian) and The Scarecrow (played by Cillian Murphy (from "28 days later" (!)) look to round out the villian cast. this is - quite simply - awesome.
then, the less obvious details (which can make a huge difference): Micheal Caine is playing Alfred, Morgan Freeman is playing lucius fox, and gary oldman is going to play commissioner gordon (!) (finally - gordon is not being portayed as a big fat cop (by pat hingle, like in all the other flicks).
AND: the screenplay is by David Goyer, the writer of (drumroll...): yes, none other than "BLADE" (the original - one of the finest comic book to film adaptations ever, in my opinion).
Finally, (and perhaps most importantly), the subject matter of the film: it's an origin story (i.e. how bruce wayne became batman). This is important because, if done correctly, origin stories are one of the most interesting aspects of any superhero movie (in my opinion, it's what made the original 'spider-man' flick so engaging - origin stories help you identify with the protagonist. because when it comes down to it, it's all about pretending that you yourself can wear a rubber suit, inside-out underwear, and fly through the city .. . ).
and now, i'm done. i felt the need to share, because the spirit moved me - and because this movie is going to be amazing (or, at least has all the ingredients to be). I'll be there in 2005 - and you're all invited to jump on the batnerd bandwagon with me.